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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26608291">one impostor remains</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/plasmiiids/pseuds/plasmiiids'>plasmiiids</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Among Us (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Drabble, Gen, aria has a bad time, yeah. that, you know how you lose when there's one impostor and one crewmate left?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:41:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26608291</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/plasmiiids/pseuds/plasmiiids</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aria looks between the two crewmates left. One is her best friend, the other a reliable coworker. With her heart in her throat, she makes her choice.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Red &amp; Yellow (Among Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>one impostor remains</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>the sun was just rising over the skeld - a massive spaceship built for interstellar exploration, now almost devoid of crew. it cast a shadow over the body's lowly drifting away from its hull, the only sign of identification the glint of a lime green spacesuit. </p><p>and from inside the ship, the pilot put his hand against the glass of the viewing deck, and began to laugh.</p><p>“ look - look, there it is! we've done it! “ though his body trembled, his voice was strong. taako’s body did a flip outside the window, and pilot’s spirits soared. “ they're all gone, they're all gone, and you and i - we’re safe. “</p><p>he turned around to face the empty platform. once there had been ten people standing here, watching the planet polus grow distant in the glass, celebrating their return home. now, it was only him, and the young woman standing a few feet away from him. he grinned, though under the helmet, he doubted she could see it. </p><p>“ we're safe, aria. “ pilot pulled his hand away from the glass and took a step towards her, oblivious to the way she flinched. his hands motioned up and around them - “ we have this whole ship to ourselves and there is <em>no one - </em>“ his fingers grasped at the latches around his neck - “ around to ruin it. “</p><p>jordyn, maddy, iris, tumble. his friends, his coworkers. always friendly, always judging him, not that he could ever see their faces under the helmets - the helmets ... </p><p><em>forget protocol. </em>slowly he pried his own helmet - pale yellow, still splotched with blood - off his head, taking a deep breath of the stale ship air. curls that had been pressed down by lining bounced up again, forming a halo around his head. </p><p>another laugh, quieter, nervous, escaped him. “ you're the only one i ever trusted, you know. “ the helmet fell to the ground with a thud, but he was already approaching his crewmate. “ everyone else - always so secretive, always so ... so distant… “</p><p>she tensed as his hands found her own helmet, pulling at the latches and switches that formed her only defense from the outside world. aria whimpered, but it was lost under his words. “ they didn't see, they didn't understand how bad it was getting, but you … “</p><p>with a flourish, pilot pulled off her helmet, gazing into her eyes with something that might've been adoration, but appeared to aria as madness. “ you knew. you understood me, you … “</p><p>he paused, bit his lip, and threw his arms around her. this was his friend, whom he loved and trusted so dearly. this was his friend, whose shaking hands slowly reached around to hug him back.</p><p>“ you saw what i had to do, aria, you saw the danger and you let me handle it. “ this, he whispered in her ear, a quiet moment of thanks.</p><p> everyone else had clumped together in groups, but pilot had been left out. always left out. they were planning something - <em>someone </em>had to be planning something. polus was full of parasitic species. what if one had gotten on the ship? what if it had burrowed inside one of his friends, changed them, made them hurt the others? he’d done what he had to, to keep them all safe. of that he was sure. </p><p>pilot pulled back and placed his hands on the shoulders of aria’s blood red spacesuit. “ i'm so glad they didn't get you. i'm so glad i stopped them before they could. “ </p><p>baddy’s bloody body in the back of electrical. not his doing. <em>yes it was.</em></p><p>he gave aria a close-lipped smile, nodding like he could pass his certainty onto her. “but it's over now, okay?” then his grip slipped away, and pilot moved past her, towards the door that led back to the rest of the ship. “ it's all over. the worst is over and we're safe, we can - we can head back to mira now, we can ...“</p><p>he reached out to press the button that would open the passageway and stopped. aria’s footsteps had not followed him. he looked over his shoulder, and though her head was turned away, her shaking, quiet sobs were a dead giveaway.</p><p>“ why are you crying? “ he might as well have stabbed her in the gut, for the next sound that escaped her was something strangled. pilot’s brow knitted in concern, and he began to retrace his steps, speaking to her softly as he might've done to his siblings, when he was young and back on earth and still innocent. “ you ... aria, we're <em>safe</em> now. everyone else is gone, everyone else … “</p><p>once he reached her, he took her hand. now he could see the streaks of salt water that ran down her cheeks, ones she tried to hastily wipe away. </p><p>pilot clicked his tongue in what could've been disappointment. “everyone who could have <em>hurt us,</em> is gone, i-i don't understand why you're … “ his other hand reached up to trace her cheek, and his eyes began to glisten, too. “ why aren't you happy? for me? for <em>us? </em>we're going to go home. “<br/>
<br/>
slowly, he blinked away his own tears and began to pull her toward the window, forcing a smile as he noticed taako’s corpse was almost out of sight. “ we're going to be safe forever. no one will be able to toy with us like this again. no one will - “</p><p>aria pulled her hand away. the motion was strong enough to yank pilot back a step. his eyes widened as he slowly turned to look at her again, and the young woman pressed a hand over her mouth. </p><p>“ you. “ pilot moved closer. she took one step back, then two. his shoulders slumped, and looking at him tilt his head like a dog, aria felt something close to pity. “ aria. are you scared of me? “ </p><p>she hiccuped, but didn't answer yes or no. his heart broke at the sight. he already knew - of course, he already knew. he spread his arms open wide, half expecting her to rush in for a hug as he closed the distance again. “ shh, no, no ... it's alright. you did the right thing, you ... i saw how you defended me. i had to keep you away from all of it, i didn't want you to see. “</p><p>the doors. he wasn't an electrician, mind you, but they had been easy enough to take over and bend to his will. he’d never had a witness - <em>one who lived, </em>at least.</p><p>he reached for her shoulders again, searching her face for some semblance of mercy. “ you have to understand, i did this for the both of us. i kept us safe. “ instead. his hands cut into her sleeves with force he didn't think he had. “ and we're still friends, aren't we? “</p><p>aria froze at this. looked from his hands to hers, pinned to her sides. seemed to scan his face for answers. set her mouth in a hard, thin line. though she was still crying, she was more solid than a statue.</p><p>little by little pilot’s grip on her began to relax. elation turned to shock turned to anger. “ yes, i may have ... hurt those people. “ he spit the words out onto the ground, but forced himself to look at her face again. “ but you could've stopped it at any time! " </p><p>by the horror in her eyes, one could guess she had either not thought of that or had simply ignored the warning signs. pilot didn't care which, didn't fight back as she slipped from his grip. </p><p>“ you could've made it stop, and then you would've been safe too, but you <em>trusted</em> me.” his hands, now loose, balled into fists. he was smiling again, though tears had begun to run down his face and the expression was closer to a snarl. “ you let me do what i had to, and i can't thank you enough. because now they're gone and it's just us! “</p><p>his voice cracked as he watched aria slowly back up towards the door. he had been yelling. when had he started yelling? “ the best of friends, remember? “</p><p>“ we can trust each other. we can ... “ she was getting close to the exit now. too close. <em>no, no, don't leave me - </em></p><p>aria pushed the button, her dark curls streaming after her as she began to vanish down the hallway.</p><p>she didn't make it very far.</p><p>the gunshot that shook the cabin rendered pilot deaf to all else. he saw the spray of blood, watched aria fall forward. half her body lay out of sight, but she was certainly dead long before she hit the ground. he never missed a shot. never ever. </p><p>and suddenly it was just him. him and his breathing and the gun that felt so heavy in his hand. he hadn't noticed himself reaching for it. they'd never noticed it strapped to his side. they hadn't noticed so many things …</p><p>once more, pilot began to laugh. this time it was quieter, almost thankful. thankful he didn't have to see the telltale eyes of a dead woman staring back at him as he slowly tossed the gun aside. with his now empty hand, he reached up to wipe his nose and began the trek to the other side of the room.<br/>
<br/>
the airlocks. how cold was it in space? perhaps he could ask taako. and eliot, and candy, and ...</p><p>there was a button on the side of the doors that would open them, that would force the gaping maw of space to swallow him whole. he’d have to push that button himself. no worries. he would find a way. </p><p>he always had.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>words: 1593<br/>i cant believe among us broke my writer's block<br/>i'll write something with pilot's actual oc crew another time</p></blockquote></div></div>
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